Saxy Christmas

Join us for a unique Christmas concert with the sax quartets of European University Cyprus and the newly established Cyprus Saxophone Orchestra, at Technopolis 20, on Wednesday, 13th of December 2017, at 20:00. The concert will include jazzy arrangements of well-known Christmas carols from around the world, as well as original works written for the Christmas period.

The EUC sax quartets were established in 2006 and are comprised of faculty, students and recent graduates of the music program. They have performed at the CyBC program Entechnos, the Cyprus Wine Museum, Technopolis 20, the Cultural Workshop of Agioi Omologites, the King’s Avenue Mall and elsewhere. Their members are Yiannis Miralis (soprano sax, associate professor of saxophone and music education), Iacovos Parpas (tenor sax, instructor of jazz saxophone, Vicky Siafaka (alto sax, EUC graduate), Christos Papadopoulos (tenor sax, member of the EUC Band), Karl Tipp (alto sax, undergraduate Erasmus student from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre) and Nikos Kaiafas (baritone saxophone, undergraduate student from Thessaloniki). With their purity of sound, extensive dynamic range and homogenous blending they aspire to contribute to the promotion of classical saxophone in Cyprus. The newly established Cyprus Saxophone Orchestra has been established in the fall of 20017 and is directed by Kate Jarrold and Yiannis Miralis. It is comprised of students and faculty from the American International School in Cyprus and EUC. Within its first months of operation it has been invited to perform in various venues within the month of December.

Entrance: 10 euro
Reservations are necessary at 70002420.

A few words about the musicians
Yiannis Miralis (soprano saxophone) is Associate Professor of Music Education and Saxophone at European University Cyprus. He holds degrees from Michigan State University (PhD), Bowling Green State University (MM) and Lawrence University (BM), where he was a Fulbright scholar. As the first Cypriot classical saxophonist he has performed with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Philharmonia and has given chamber music recitals in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Serbia, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Lebanon, Canada and the USA. He is founding member of the Transcontinental Saxophone Quartet with which they won various chamber music competitions in the USA. The quartet appeared as soloist with the Royal Belgian Air Force Band, while their CD “Mountain Roads” has received positive reviews. He is also founding member of the Mediterranean Trio with which he performed in Munich, Bonn, Berlin, Amsterdam and Nicosia. He has taught at the University of Cyprus, the ARTE Music Academy and the University of Windsor. From 2001-2004 he served as assistant professor at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho. He is founding member of the Greek Saxophone Association and the Cyprus Saxophone Association and board member of the European Chamber Music Teachers’ Association (ECMTA).

Iacovos Parpas was born in Limassol in 1974 and currently lives in Nicosia. He studied music at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. His teaching experience started back in 2000 by offering private music lessons. Since 2005 he is teaching music in public schools. He is the jazz instructor at European University Cyprus since 2017.

Vasiliki Siafaka (alto sax) was born in Lamia in 1993. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from European University Cyprus and a saxophone diploma from the Lamia Municipal Conservatory where she studied with Yiannis Miralis and Thanasis Fysekis respectively. She also participated in saxophone masterclasses with Jean Marie Londeix, Griffin Campbell, George Porte, Matthew Arau, Olavi Kasemaa and Theodore Kerkezos. She won prizes at various Greek saxophone competitions (2007-2015) and at 2014 she won the first prize and a scholarship to study at European University Cyprus. She has performed extensively with the EUC sax trio and quartet, the Symphonic Band of Strovolos Municipality-European University Cyprus and the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. She currently works as a saxophone teacher in Nicosia.

Christos Papadopoulos (tenor sax) had his first contact with the saxophone in 1991 when he enrolled in the Paphos Municipal Band. During his studies he enrolled at Sindos/Echedoro Wind Band in Thessaloniki and upon his return in Cyprus he became a member of the Cyprus Saxophone Association and the Symphonic Band of Strovolos Municipality-European University Cyprus, with whom he gave numerous performances in Cyprus and abroad. He attended various saxophone masterclasses and in 2015 he attended the Cyprus Jazz Workshop. Since 2016 he is professionally involved with the saxophone as a solo and ensemble player.

Karl Tipp (alto sax) is from Estonia and he is having an Erasmus exchange year in Cyprus from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (teacher Virgo Veldi). Karl has ended children's music school with piano but continued his studies with saxophone. He has also learned composition (teacher Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes) and in 2016 he won a composing competition "Young composer 2016". This year Karl participated in Solon Michaelides's competition in Limassol Cyprus and got 1st price in the highest category.

Aleksei Lazic (alto sax) was born in 2001 and is a student at the American International School in Cyprus. He began playing the alto saxophone at the age of 10. He completed his Grade 8 exam with the Royal Academy of Music in 2016 and is currently preparing his final saxophone diploma. He joined the saxophone ensemble this year and is also a member of the school band and senior choir. He is a freelance DJ, composes original music and aims to pursue a career in the field of music.

Elias Vasnic (alto sax) was born in Nicosia and begun playing alto saxophone at the age of nine. In 2016 he successfully passed the Grade VIII exam with distinction. Elias is an alumni of the American International School in Cyprus and is currently serving his military service in the Army Band of the National Guard (SMEF). He plans to pursue a degree in music.